NEIGHBORS OF
TRACE BREWING

Neighbors of Trace Brewing is a diverse coalition of residents who live next to Trace Brewing on Clement Way in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood.

Many of us supported Trace when it opened and appreciate the community that it brings. This website exists because years of good-faith efforts to resolve the impacts of Trace's recurring outdoor events were unsuccessful, leaving us with few remaining avenues to be heard.

TL;DR: Trace Brewing directly profits from recurring high-volume outdoor events on Clement Way, the residential public street beside its business. By repeatedly closing the street to create an outdoor party venue, it subjects nearby residents to hours of amplified noise and disruption. Despite sustained objections from virtually every household on the block and years of requests for reasonable compromise, Trace management has responded with hostility toward neighbors rather than accountability.

Trace says it was built to be part of the Bloomfield neighborhood. We agree—and believe that being part of a neighborhood means respecting the quality of life of the people who live there.

WHAT THIS IS—AND ISN'T

We support the communities that Trace serves and do not oppose its inclusive programming. Many of us have attended and enjoyed indoor events at Trace ourselves.

Our concern has never been who the events are for—it's where and how they are held. In 2019, through a facilitated community process, Trace agreed that its outdoor courtyard would be used for seating, not amplified concerts or parties.

Like many businesses, Trace temporarily moved activities outdoors during the pandemic. When those temporary measures ended, most businesses returned their events indoors. Trace did not.

After pleading guilty to multiple noise violations, Trace lost its state Amusement Permit for amplified outdoor entertainment. Rather than resolving the underlying issue, the amplified events shifted onto the residential public street behind our homes.

Our request has never changed: hold amplified events indoors or at an appropriate venue, not on a residential public street immediately outside people's homes.

TIMELINE

2019

At a community meeting, Trace promised neighbors that its courtyard will be used only for outdoor seating—not loud dance parties. This meeting was facilitated by the Bloomfield Development Corporation (BDC) to create operating agreements. Read the BDC meeting notes here.

2021–2023

Trace opens. Amplified outdoor events begin multiple times per week in Trace’s outdoor courtyard despite earlier assurances. The music could be heard inside many homes down the block, even with windows and doors closed.

Neighbors repeatedly met and had friendly communications with management requesting simple compromises, such as moving amplified music indoors and suggesting strategies to build goodwill in the community. Eventually, when these compromises were rejected, nearly 50 households close to Trace signed a petition with these requests and sent it to Trace, BDC, and several city agencies.

2024–Present

After the petition was ignored and no meaningful changes were made, the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement investigates.

Trace pleads guilty to multiple noise violations and eventually loses its Amusement Permit. They are no longer allowed to hold amplified outdoor or indoor events on their property.

Trace moves these amplified outdoor events to Clement Way (off their property) despite virtually unanimous opposition from households on the block. This is done through the Office of Film and Event Management (OFEM) street closure permits, applied for by Trace and/or affiliated groups. In the warm months permits are granted nearly every weekend and the events reach sustained noise levels between 77-90 decibels.

In 2025, when OFEM asked to hear from more directly impacted residents, virtually every household on the block petitioned for the Clement Way permits to stop, but received no response and the permits continued.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Clement Way is not an entertainment district. It's a residential street and home to families, shift workers, students, people who work from home, young children, older residents, and neighbors with disabilities. People deserve to rest, study, work, and enjoy their homes and yards without recurring hours-long amplified events that turn weekends at home into something to endure rather than enjoy.

For context: Before Trace occupied the building, a successful music venue, The Shop, hosted punk and metal shows for years, keeping amplified performances indoors with windows and doors closed out of respect for nearby residents.

CURRENT STATUS

As of December 2025, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has objected to the renewal of Trace Brewing's liquor license based on its compliance history. Trace continues operating under temporary authority while the administrative appeals process is ongoing.

TRACE'S RESPONSE

Rather than engaging with neighbors' concerns, Trace management has:


SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: FAQ

Have you tried working with Trace?
Yes. Neighbors spent more than two years raising concerns directly with Trace management and proposing reasonable compromises, such as moving amplified music indoors and keeping doors and windows closed during loud events. Those efforts were unsuccessful: the parties didn’t change in frequency or volume. After residents organized in 2023, Trace refused to engage in communication with the group, leaving regulatory agencies as the only remaining avenue for relief.

Isn't this just a few angry neighbors?
No. Opposition to the outdoor events is broad and well documented. Nearly 50 nearby households signed our first petition, and every occupied home on Clement Way signed our second petition asking the City to stop approving recurring street-closure permits. Unfortunately, Trace management has attempted to discredit our efforts by downplaying the size and diversity of our group, and even portraying us as a threat to their patrons’ safety—an accusation that is completely unfounded.

Why are you anonymous?
Residents who spoke publicly experienced harassment and personal attacks by Trace management. To protect our neighbors, our group communicates collectively. State and local agencies have access to our petitions and know who has participated.

Trace says the Clement Way events aren't Trace events. Is that true?
Trace originally applied for the event permits but stopped when they were under investigation. Now these permits are requested by other entities such as the DJs or performers. Regardless of the permit holder, Trace is publicly associated with the events on social media, sells beer during the events, coordinates vendors, typically supplies electricity and bathrooms, and assists with the other infrastructure that makes these events possible. From residents’ and attendees’ perspective, the events function as an extension of Trace's operations and have the same impact on the neighborhood.

Isn’t this just city living?
No. City living includes traffic, construction(!), sirens, and everyday neighborhood activity. It should not require residents to endure recurring, hours-long amplified DJ events immediately outside their homes week after week. We are asking for reasonable limits—not silence.

Do you oppose Trace’s diverse and inclusive events?
Absolutely not.

Despite efforts to paint Bloomfield as homogenous, many of us who petition Trace are members of the same communities that Trace celebrates and supported Trace when it opened. Multiple things can be true at the same time: neighbors can support Trace’s inclusivity while holding them accountable for the harm their outdoor events continue to cause. Our concern has never been who the events are for—it is where and how they are held.

Why did government agencies become involved?
After Trace cut off contact with neighbors in 2023, we turned to municipal and state agencies and the organizations responsible for liquor licensed businesses and noise enforcement. Those agencies conducted their own investigations and reached their own conclusions.

Has Trace violated any laws or regulations?
Yes. Trace pleaded guilty to multiple noise violations, paid the associated fines, and lost its Pennsylvania Amusement Permit in 2024. As a result, it can no longer host the same amplified outdoor entertainment in its courtyard and instead seeks City permits to close Clement Way for recurring street events. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has also objected to the renewal of Trace's liquor license based on its compliance history.

What’s the deal with decibels?
A small increase in decibels makes a big difference! Every increase of 10 decibels sounds roughly twice as loud to the human ear. So, 80 dB sounds twice as loud as 70 dB, and the brick buildings along Clement Way amplify the effect.

Trace says it has made changes in response to neighborhood concerns. Why isn't that enough?
We welcome meaningful efforts to reduce the impact of these events. However, we are not aware of significant changes that occurred before intervention by state agencies.

The central issue remains unchanged: recurring amplified events continue to be held immediately outside residents' homes despite years of objections and repeated requests for greater consideration of the people who live here.

A healthy neighborhood depends on both thriving businesses and invested residents. When dozens of neighbors unite around an issue affecting our quality of life, it signals a serious problem that needs to be addressed.